


A Gift From the Heart

by Sumi



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25694911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: “Muriel lay down with me,” Zora said, a smile creeping onto her face when a blush quickly rose to his cheeks.He shook his head, trying his best to avoid her gaze. “We need to keep watch,” he insisted. "I will take the first shift.”“Nonsense! You need to rest as much as I do. I’ll just put up a protection spell and that way no one loses sleep.” Zora eyed Muriel, keeping his gaze until he finally nodded in defeat.
Relationships: Apprentice/Muriel (The Arcana)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	A Gift From the Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cvy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cvy/gifts).



> I wrote this for the Fields of Vesuvia Exchange over on tumblr: https://fieldsofvesuvia.tumblr.com/. The person I wrote this for was mineshaft-birdie and they requested a piece of fic/art with their OC Zora and Muriel. :D
> 
> I hope you enjoy it~

They decided to make camp a few miles from Vesuvia. It was only a few more hours away, but Zora was exhausted from traveling early in the morning to the late evening. Muriel looked to be just as tired with Inanna letting out a tired whine every now and then. 

Given their current state, it made sense to stop for the night. Zora was eager to get back to Vesuvia as quickly as possible and check on the rest of their friends. She could only hope they were faring better than they had.

While Muriel started the fire, Zora laid out their bedrolls. After they were done, she sat beside Muriel who was gently petting Inanna. The poor wolf had already started to doze.

Zora thought she had the right idea. It wouldn’t take long for her to succumb to the exhaustion running through her body and fall asleep herself. A quick glance at Muriel told Zora he didn’t share the same idea. Knowing Muriel, he probably intended to stay up and guard the camp.

“Muriel lay down with me,” Zora said, a smile creeping onto her face when a blush quickly rose to his cheeks.

He shook his head, trying his best to avoid her gaze. “We need to keep watch,” he insisted. "I will take the first shift.”

“Nonsense! You need to rest as much as I do. I’ll just put up a protection spell and that way no one loses sleep.” Zora eyed Muriel, keeping his gaze until he finally nodded in defeat.

There was no point in one of them keeping guard when she could cast a simple spell. It wouldn’t take much what little energy she had left from the day’s excursion back to Vesuvia. Muriel simply had to trust Zora knew what she was doing.

Zora settled into a restful sleep with Muriel by her side. They fit together quite nicely, something Zora had admitted out loud to Muriel more than once. The typical reaction from him was a blush, which she never grew tired of. 

Muriel was the most gentle soul. He liked to think differently because of his past, but Zora would debate him on it until she was blue in the face. The man was a good person regardless of his past. 

During those years he had no choice and the only person truly responsible was that bastard Count Lucio who still was proving to be a problem for all of Vesuvia. Zora hated that they came up empty handed during their journey. It had all been for nothing, but there was still time to stop Lucio. They just had to stay persistent.

The first one up in the morning was Muriel. Zora woke to him preparing some food and it honestly smelled delicious. She flashed him a soft smile, her attention slowly shifting back to the food. While Zora was grateful, she felt a pang of guilt that Muriel had simply let her keep sleeping.

“Muriel I wish you woke me. I could’ve assisted in some way,” Zora insisted.

Muriel sighed, hesitating some before he spoke. “You looked peaceful. I… could not bring myself to wake you.”

The man was so sweet to the point where Zora didn’t know what to do with herself at times. She let out a sigh of her own and waited for him to finish breakfast. Once it was ready, Zora finished it in no time. One reason being Zora was very hungry and the other because of the strong desire to get back to Vesuvia.

Muriel and Zora were back on the road in no time. She felt better in that the exhaustion had faded and her stomach was full. A glance at Muriel told Zora he seemed less okay than her. He appeared conflicted, like he was debating on doing something or not.

“... Muriel is everything all right?”

He nodded, hesitating as he pulled something out from the inside of his cloak. “I… wanted to give this to you.”

In Muriel’s hands was a handful of narcissus flowers braided together in a crown. He held it out towards her, refusing to meet her gaze. Zora couldn’t think of anything to say at first. She was caught up in the fact that Muriel had taken some time that morning to make that for her. It was so characteristically sweet of him.

She reached for the crown and placed it on her head with a laugh. “Thank you, Muriel. I love it, but where did you find the flowers?”

“I found them a few feet away from camp,” he mumbled.

The crown was a beautiful thing. Muriel had weaved together a group of bright, orange colored narcissus flowers in such an intricate piece of headwear. Zora felt proud to wear it atop her head.

“Thank you, Muriel.”

Muriel nodded, still not looking in her direction. She let him be, not wanting to embarrass Muriel any more than he already was. Inanna walked beside Zora, an amused expression on the wolf’s face. Zora flashed her a smile and a nod. Muriel truly was too sweet for his own good.

She wore the flower crown on her head proudly. After they finally arrived in Vesuvia and regrouped with their friends, Zora still had it on. Muriel kept glancing at it, cheeks darkening every time he did so.

“Why are you still wearing it?” Muriel asked, voice low enough so only Zora could hear.

Zora lifted a brow. “Because you gave it to me and I love it for that simple fact.”

The faint blush staining Muriel’s cheeks started to darken and grow. All he could do was nod in response to her comment.

During the talk with their friends, there were a few glances towards the flowers on top of her head, including a question or two. Zora easily deflected them and focused on the topic of Count Lucio.

Some things Zora preferred to just keep between her and Muriel. It made things more special that way.


End file.
